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Monthly Archives: June 2014

I’m off to Copenhagen for a series of concerts with the amazing virtuoso Danish pianist Mads Heide.

I first met Mads in 2000 when he came to Manchester to study music. He introduced himself to me as Damien as he thought it would be easier for us English. He became the resident piano player at Matt and Phred’s almost instantly and proved to be an incredibly fast learner and a great musician. He had a huge dynamic range on the piano and could even “one inch punch” a piano key breaking a string. No mean feat. He cost me loads in piano strings but it was worth it. He was a joy to play with and a firm favorite with the regulars at the club. His exciting free style won many hearts.

After his studies he went back to his home town of Copenhagen and continued to develop his music. We kept in touch through the years and then under his real (much cooler) name of Mads Heide I brought his trio over for a series of gigs to the club a few years later.

Now It’s with great joy I go to see my friend for the first time in the beautiful town of Copenhagen during the Jazz festival and Annabel and I are looking forward to meeting Mads’ young family and creating some music with a whole host of musicians he’s set us up to play with. I can’t wait.

I hope to set up at least one recording date while were there and have been working on a set to mark the occasion.

Copenhagen was and still is a center for great jazz and great jazz musicians. Ben Webster lived there and the Danish are real aficionados of the music.

Over the last five years I’ve been working with some amazing musicians I’ve met in a musical shift to a genre I never thought I’d have the chance of being involved in. Flamenco always seemed to me a music you had to be born into, a rhythm that was given to you in the womb. They talk of the duende (spirit or soul) which seemed unattainable. It’s been a great ride and I the best thing is being able to call these wonderful musicians friends.

We’ve been working hard and last year recorded our first album, We managed to secure a deal with World Music Networks Riverboat Records and have benn playing a series of gigs around the UK wich has been wonderful. If your going to Bestival we’ll be there in Pig’s Big Ballroom where I’ll also be DJing on my 78rpm shellac discs with Annabel.

Calaita was formed by Seville born flamenco singer /guitar player Chico Pere and guitarist Glenn Sharp. Calaita has now grown to include percussionist Leo Paredes, vocalist Dianna Castro, and me on sax on flute.

The compositions are in the main by Chico and these pull on his life experiences growing up in Triana-Seville as well as his travels throughout Europe. Glenn also writes for the band bringing his virtuoso playing stlye to the fore. The other diverse musical backgrounds in the band range through world music, soul, jazz, funk, hip hop and of course flamenco.